Chapter 3 - THEY WAITED UNTIL I LEFT CHICAGO
I landed in Boston believing my biggest problem was explaining to four girls why their father had chosen another child over them.
Then my attorney called.
Her name was Rebecca Sloan.
“Mariana, do not sign anything from Vance Fine Furniture.”
“I wasn’t planning to.”
“There’s an emergency board meeting tomorrow.”
I stopped walking through the airport.
“What?”
My daughters gathered around me.
Chloe immediately knew from my face that something was wrong.
Rebecca continued.
“The company is proposing a new capital raise.”
“How much?”
“Eight million dollars.”
That made no sense.
Vance Fine Furniture had strong contracts and healthy cash flow.
At least it had when I was still regularly reviewing financial reports.
“Why?”
“They claim expansion.”
“And the dilution?”
“If existing shareholders don’t participate proportionally, new investors receive the shares.”
I owned forty-three percent.
To maintain that position, I would need to contribute more than $3.4 million almost immediately.
Arthur owned thirty-three percent.
Arthur Sr.’s twenty-four percent had gone into the Vance Legacy Trust after his death two years earlier.
Beatrice acted as family representative.
Convenient.
“How much notice did they give?”
“Forty-eight hours.”
“That violates the shareholder agreement.”
“Yes.”
I smiled for the first time that day.
Rebecca added:
“Which is why I’ve already prepared an injunction request.”
Chloe was watching me.
“What are they doing?”
I could have lied.
She was fifteen.
Old enough to understand adults could be cruel.
Young enough that I still wanted to protect her from every ugly detail.
Then I remembered how secrecy had helped the Vances create tonight’s disaster.
“They’re trying to reduce my ownership in the company.”
Her face hardened.
“Because we left?”
“Maybe.”
My phone buzzed.
Carmen.
She had finally called.
For twenty minutes, she told me everything.
The ring.
The receipt.
Elena.
The sibling test.
Diego.
Then the fake paternity test.
Maya sat beside me coloring on an airport napkin while my understanding of sixteen years of family history collapsed.
“Arthur knows?”
“Yes.”
“How did he react?”
“Like a man who finally realized everybody had been lying to him.”
I felt no satisfaction.
Arthur had lied to me too.
Then Carmen said:
“Mrs. Vance, there is another reason they scheduled tomorrow.”
“What?”
“Mr. Arthur told the board you had voluntarily withdrawn from active participation after the divorce.”
My blood went cold.
“I did no such thing.”
“I know.”
Rebecca heard.
“Mariana, ask Carmen whether she has a copy.”
Carmen did.
Five minutes later, the document reached us.
VOLUNTARY SHAREHOLDER WITHDRAWAL NOTICE.
My name appeared at the bottom.
My signature.
Not mine.
According to the document, I had agreed to surrender preemptive rights in any future capital raise.
May you like
Someone had forged my signature.
And the witness listed beneath it was Beatrice Vance.
Related Stories
